A Third Rail Company Member since 2015, Darius Pierce has appeared in our productions of Middletown and The Realistic Joneses. You may also seen him around town in the past year in The Santaland Diaries at Portland Center Stage or Feathers and Teeth at Artists Repertory Theatre. We’re excited that Darius is in our first 2017-18 Main Stage production – Duncan Macmillan’s Lungs. We asked him a few questions about the show.

You’ve been interested in the role of M for a while. Why?

From the first time I read this show, I felt like I understood who M is. Or, perhaps, that he understood who I am. I read the show and regularly found him giving voice to thoughts I have had and – even more penetrating – thoughts I didn’t even realize I had had. It was personal.

I think he’s moving and funny. And not the type of character that I usually have an opportunity to play. Plus, even beyond wanting to play this role, I wanted to be a part of bringing this show to the Third Rail stage.

The portrayal of the relationship of M and his partner W (played by guest artist Cristi Miles) rings so true. That means we’re not always experiencing these people as their best selves. Knowing what we know about him, could you be friends with M?

Sure! I actually love both M and W. I think I’d happily be friends with them. With M, he tries to do the right thing. And he fails sometimes. But in the examining and trying, he has an appealing energy. He’s supportive and insecure, and intellectual and needy, and conscientious and impulsive, and a full person. On balance, I think he’d be a good (if not occasionally trying) friend.

What do you think will surprise people about Lungs?

How many conversations and ideas they’ll recognize. And how the show will stay with them – working on this production, I’m surprised at how much it has permeated my day-to-day life. Plus, the way the story is told and how it moves through time – it’s unusual!

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The mission of Third Rail Repertory Theatre is to provide a dynamic artistic home for theatre audiences in Portland by fostering a professional local company, which, through collaboration and discipline, brings to life exceptional stories that provoke dialogue, encourage empathy, and inspire curiosity.